New X/RC Price Drop Policy In Action

[MAXII]

Thought I would let folks know how the price drop policy is working - well for a Canadian anyways.

 

For years X has always adjusted the price for price drops and I was wondering how the new policy would work as policies sometimes are applied differently to Canadians.

 

Well. thanks to someone on my roll call letting me know of the price drop for my upcoming Bermuda cruise, I just found out. I e-mailed my T/A who contacted me and advised that X were willing to upgrade, cancel and re-book at the new price or grant an OBC for the cruise ----- X were not willing to adjust the invoice.

 

No big deal for us, we took the OBC though my T/A was more than willing to cancel and rebook.

 

Perhaps the unwillingness to adjust the invoice is applying to Canadians only - be interested to hear from folks as to their experiences with the new policy.

[babyorca]

Can you give more details regarding the new policy? When did it start? I just randomly read a few posts about it the last two days. Did X come out with a press release about it?

 

As an aside question, do you know if TAs get less commission if there process a price drop? My TA (maybe she doesn't know much about cruising, but I doubt that is the case) seemed to imply that she would try but that they don't really have price drops and they are hard to get and only on the weekends and all this other stuff. It felt like she just didn't want to process one if I found one for one reason or another. I doubt it's a big hassle to do it; more that it's just part of the job. (Using my mom's TA, and as she is friends with the TA, not exactly easy just to get rid of her or do much about it).

I already found out that TAs in Canada don't give out OBC like they do in the US.

 

thanks for any input.

[mobster75]

The travel agent's commission is based on the cruise fare - anything that lowers the cruise fare, will lower the dollar amount they receive and in return can lower any OBC that you receive from them as it appears to all be based on percentages.

 

This is how it was explained to me by a couple TA's.

[BonnieVA]

The travel agent's commission is based on the cruise fare - anything that lowers the cruise fare, will lower the dollar amount they receive and in return can lower any OBC that you receive from them as it appears to all be based on percentages.

 

This is how it was explained to me by a couple TA's.

 

That's correct. And it's not so hard to re-fare a cruise if a lower price is offered by the line. But it does mean less $ for your agent.

[patseacruiser]

Yes less money for your TA but if you cancel and very desired cabin there may be a waitlist for it and you could lose it.

[Infi]

So the new no-price-drop policy from RCI is in effect for Celebrity now too? That's a shame. I'd like to see clarification of the policy from X, if anyone has asked about it yet.

 

I was hoping they wouldn't adopt that particular policy from RCI, but it looks like they have. :( Makes one think twice about booking now.

[wrk2cruise]

To the OP, was this before or after the final payment date?

[cheryl20772]

Can you give more details regarding the new policy? When did it start? I just randomly read a few posts about it the last two days. Did X come out with a press release about it?

 

You can read about Celebrity's price policy here https://secure.celebritycruises.com/beforeyourcruise/heroSingleTxtSubBPG.do;jsessionid=0000b2OYH5eqYNhHaidngFFmlds:12hdbcveb?pagename=celebrity_best_price_guarantee

 

We now have only 48 hours to find and claim a lower price.

 

also:

 

Which bookings are eligible for the Celebrity Best Price Guarantee Program?

Subject: Pricing/Availability

 

New individual bookings made as of May 17, 2010.

 

We purchased our booking May 3 and when I just called to see if I could get the new price for ours, they told me that we already had enough credits. We are using coupons for 15% off a cancelled Mercury cruise from last March plus our TA gives OBC. The new price would have meant $200 OBC for our cabin, but when our TA called, Celebrity told them no more for us. :(

[Redtravel]

Until final payment is due, book and rebook. After final payment, it may be hard.

[gadaboutgal]

The cancel and rebook option just seems to me like they want to punish you for asking for a price drop-as by doing so you are more likely to lose the cabin that you selected originally. Why bother to book early to get the cabin you want!

[Retty2Go]

Actually, the new policy really is not that complex. Cruise Critic Senior Editor Erica Silverstein sorts it out in "Update: Royal Caribbean's New Best Price Guarantee: Your Questions Answered" (5/19) <http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3880>. For instance...

 

"Q: What if I book prior to the penalty period and the price drops after 48 hours?

 

A: You actually have several options. If you book before final payment and the price drops on your itinerary, cabin category and sail date, you can request a fare adjustment or an upgrade if applicable, and the line will accommodate you. If you see a price drop on a different cabin category or sailing and you'd like to take advantage of that offer, you can cancel without penalty and rebook at the lower fare.

 

Once final payment is made, you are locked into the rate you paid and have no more opportunities to receive a price differential in onboard credit. However, as mentioned above, if the price drops such that a higher-category cabin now costs the same as what you paid, you can request an upgrade, if a cabin is available."

 

See the article for more answers.

[Amy from Delaware]

"Q: What if I book prior to the penalty period and the price drops after 48 hours?

 

A: You actually have several options. If you book before final payment and the price drops on your itinerary, cabin category and sail date, you can request a fare adjustment or an upgrade if applicable, and the line will accommodate you. If you see a price drop on a different cabin category or sailing and you'd like to take advantage of that offer, you can cancel without penalty and rebook at the lower fare.

 

What am I missing here? Isn't this part the same as it's always been?

[Retty2Go]

What am I missing here? Isn't this part the same as it's always been?

 

It appears that way to me.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Actually, the new policy really is not that complex. Cruise Critic Senior Editor Erica Silverstein sorts it out in "Update: Royal Caribbean's New Best Price Guarantee: Your Questions Answered" (5/19) <http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3880>. For instance...

 

"Q: What if I book prior to the penalty period and the price drops after 48 hours?

 

A: You actually have several options. If you book before final payment and the price drops on your itinerary, cabin category and sail date, you can request a fare adjustment or an upgrade if applicable, and the line will accommodate you. If you see a price drop on a different cabin category or sailing and you'd like to take advantage of that offer, you can cancel without penalty and rebook at the lower fare.

 

Once final payment is made, you are locked into the rate you paid and have no more opportunities to receive a price differential in onboard credit. However, as mentioned above, if the price drops such that a higher-category cabin now costs the same as what you paid, you can request an upgrade, if a cabin is available."

 

See the article for more answers.

 

The OP's experience seems to contradict this. Possibly there's something more to it-- maybe a TA attempting to discourage a price (and thus commission) reduction by giving false information, final payment was already made, soething else. Per the article quoted, there should be no difference because the OP is Canadian; the policy applies to "North American" bookings.

[Alsmez]

I nabbed a price drop today as well - my TA informed me that if I took the drop, my OBC would go down as well, so it actually wasn't as much of a deal as I had hoped. Instead, I took an upgrade - C3 for the same price I originally paid for my 2C. I got the confirmation and I still have the same Celebrity booking number, so I don't think he had to cancel and rebook.

[MartinsCruise]

We are on the same cruise as the OP but we booked directly through Celebrity. When I called them last Sunday they took the difference off the balance we owed and sent us a new confirmation. I have done this numerous times on past cruises and never had a problem. It has been beneficial dealing directly with them because we don't have to wait to contact a TA and hope it's done while the decreased price is in effect. We have also been able to grab great cabins when they become available. Maybe it will change on future bookings after the new policy takes affect.

[buba1944]

As a first timer I am finding this thread very interesting. I never thought I would cruise on X, but the economy made it possible. Now I'm learning that fares may rise or fall any time up until sailing. Since I booked thru a TA should I make it part of my daily routine to check fares for my cruise or is there another way to learn of reductions?

[SusieV]

I thought that bookings prior to May 17 were grandfathered?

 

I'm Canadian too and had no trouble getting price drops on my upcoming December sailing but it was before the new policy was enacted. I can't imagine why X would force a cancel/rebook for a price drop when you're outside penalty. That just means more work for everyone.

 

Now after penalty, then yes, OBC makes sense if your booking was grandfathered.

[MAXII]

Wow great feedback, thanks everyone.

 

It is interesting to see how the new policy is being implemented. Here are answers to some of the qs asked of me so far:

 

wrk2cruise: We have not made final payment

 

babyorca: My T/A Who is Canadian based gave us onboard credits for an upcoming Transatlantic Cruise, 2011 - I usually book on board, get X's OBC and then transfer to her but on this occasion T/A knew I was going to book on one of our upcoming cruises and out of the blue she called and offered an equivalent OBC to X's not only for DH and I but also our friends if we booked with her!

 

Its a first and we have used this T/A for many years, though in the past we have had other goodies from her. I think the T/A was having some sort of promotion on and we just lucked out. It certainly appears Canadian T/As do not offer OBCs as much or as widely as down in the US.

 

PartyAllDaTyme: Our experience with X is that we have always watched pricing and received price adjusted confirmations where there has been a price drop up until final payment. On this occasion, our T/A requested an adjustment as she has done so many times for us right up until last month but this time X was not prepared to process one in the usual way. T/A was more than happy to cancel and rebook but we were just as happy with OBC. We have been with this particular agency for around 15 years, I trust her absolutely and am sure it must be the new way of X doing business.

 

MartinsCruise: Hi Sue. Lets hope there will be more price drops so we can swap notes and compare how the policy is applied to us both. :)

 

buba1944: Absolutely watch the pricing. Whether you get an adjustment, OBC or an upgrade it is sweet. Some T/As will watch for you but at a minimum, I check every 2 weeks.

 

SusieV: Totally agree re. the extra work involved in canceling and re booking, doesn't make sense to me but I am leaving that one for the T/As to take up with X! We thought we should be grandfathered too but we really weren't too fussed. We will certainly rethink our usual early booking strategy though. A few years ago we had a price drop of $300. A a couple of them over say a 2 year period makes for an awful big OBC which you would likely lose if you canceled for any reason that's for sure.

[SeaCod]

I thought that bookings prior to May 17 were grandfathered?

 

I'm Canadian too and had no trouble getting price drops on my upcoming December sailing but it was before the new policy was enacted. I can't imagine why X would force a cancel/rebook for a price drop when you're outside penalty. That just means more work for everyone.

 

Now after penalty, then yes, OBC makes sense if your booking was grandfathered.

 

 

Thanks Susie, you are quite right, if you booked before May 17 you can get the decrease, after that just a room upgrade if the price is the same as your booking price.

[greydog]

On the RCL board this new price adjustment policy is interpreted as BIG net-negative, especially for frequent cruisers. They, like us, book early (up to 1 year) to get preferred selections AND later watch for/get price reductions. This is 'have cake AND eat it too".

 

Now, once 'penalty period' (usually 70 days before sailing) is reached, for those making early bookings, no price adjustments received, only POTENTIAL for upgrades if higher cat cabins now priced within early-booking amount paid.

 

As stated in the other thread, many frequent cruisers are reporting that their incentive to book early is gone since they put higher priority on catching late-available price reductions. This is my own reaction too. I'm canceling a Dec booking today - will re-evaluate trip choice late before sailings based on price reductions.

 

New policy is clearly a net-revenue-booster for cruise line - the maneuvering between customers and cruise line continues. HAPPY CRUISING

[jackdiamond]

On the April 1, 2011, Equinox, there is a significant price drop for the lowest priced balcony.

[Friscorays]

I made final payment a while back on our cruise on the Solstice which is now less than a month away. Price on our Aquaclass cabin dropped $150 per person. We booked directly with Celebrity initially so called them directly thirty minutes ago and were immediately given an additional cabin OBC of $300.

[Andy]

I thought that bookings prior to May 17 were grandfathered?

 

I'm Canadian too and had no trouble getting price drops on my upcoming December sailing but it was before the new policy was enacted. I can't imagine why X would force a cancel/rebook for a price drop when you're outside penalty. That just means more work for everyone.

 

Now after penalty, then yes, OBC makes sense if your booking was grandfathered.

 

Hi Susie !

 

I do not have the answer for Canadian bookings, but from what I was told for US bookings, you would not have to cancel/rebook as long as it's before the penalty phase begins. You would request price drops, the same way as before. I was also told that bookings made prior to May 17th, should be grandfathered under the old policies. I recommend checking with Captains Club, to be certain.

 

There is another thread on this subject : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1202483 . Here's a link to one of my posts, which has additional information : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=24482635&postcount=100

 

I hope this helps !

[dan722]

We are on the Equinox on March 11. I tried to fill out the form for the OBC and it refused saying it was more than 48 hours after I booked. booked in March. I called Celebrity and they reduced the balance of our final payment. I'd rather have it this way. 700 dollar savings. they will have people canceling if they really give reductions only up to 48 hours after booking.

 

they keep trying to change things and screw them up.:cool: